Peach
by Justsimplespeed
Summary: ::One-Shot:: Working under the eyes of Cuddy had always had its downsides to a doctor like House, but a single flower tells her more than a seemingly pointless conversation ever could.


_Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly._

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><p>Limits.<p>

Some say they are important but Dr. Greg House had never had much use for them, finding them obstacles in the field of medicine. Lisa Cuddy, on the other hand, followed them to a T, more due the fact her job was at stake then any other. Given these facts it was no wonder why these two constantly butted heads.

And this morning was no different.

"What do you want, House?" Cuddy asked, without looking up from the folder in her hands after several minutes had passed from the cripple's initial entrance to his sitting on her couch in silence without a word, the Dean of Medicine was feeling a little less than comfortable.

"What, I can't stop by to see my boss every now and again?" House asked innocently

Cuddy glared at him over the folder. "You only 'visit' when you want something. You have no patients right now so it has to be something that, out of your boredom, will embarrass me or..." Her face went thoughtful. "Actually, that's usual it. Unless you're going to mix it up and embarrass yourself for a change."

"Well..." House thought for a moment, twisting his cane in mock consideration. "You're partly right, believe it or not." He turned to look at Cuddy but his eyes instead drifted to the peach-coloured flower lying on her desk. "Secret admirer?"

"Maybe." Cuddy answered flatly. "Jealous?"

"Heartbroken." House replied with missing a beat. "I wish _I_ could give you a rose in the stunning colour of pale flesh."

Cuddy sighed, long and heavy. "Why are you here House?" She asked with considerable patience.

"The air conditioning in my office is broken," House lied with a shrug. "It's cool in here and since me dying of a heat stroke wouldn't benefit anyone I'm in here. And…" he added after a short pause. "I want to ask you something."

With as little interest as she could muster, Cuddy asked. "What is it?"

There was the slightest hesitation in House's voice before he asked plainly, "Where would you see me if I _wasn't _a doctor?"

"I wouldn't." Cuddy looked back at her folder, already bored with the conversation. "I don't even like seeing you at work, _especially_ when you're like this."

House rolled his eyes overdramatically, though a part of him made a mental note to save Cuddy's response to use as his own later. "You know what I meant."

"I know, but I don't want to answer." Cuddy replied, and then looked up once again as a sudden realization hit her. "You must be bored if you're asking such serious questions _and_ want answers."

"Only a teensy, weensy bit," House shrugged.

Cuddy considered for a moment. There had only been a handful of times like this when House's curiosity could play into her favour and she was willing to take advantage of any one of these moments. "Alright," she said slowly, laying the folder flat on the desk and eyeing House with the air of a judge. "I'll answer, on one condition."

"Ah, there's always a catch." House's face twisted into mock disappointment as he shook his head.

Cuddy held up her index finger. "One, you can't take it too seriously," another finger flicked up to join the other. "Two, you have to work three extra hours of clinic duty."

"Hmmm..." House tilted his head to one side in mock consideration. "Is there an option number 3?"

"No." Cuddy rejected. "Do you want to know or not?"

"Not so much anymore, but I'm still bored so I guess I have no choice." House glared at her with no intended malice. "Damn you and your cunning, Cuddy wit."

Cuddy frowned slightly, puzzled. It wasn't like House to accept clinic duty so eagerly, bored out of his mind or not. Then again it wasn't like him to come by randomly and fire off seeming pointless questions either but, so long as it got him to do his clinic duties and more, she wasn't going to complain.

"That was a yes," House clarified, taking the silence as doubt. "Just in case there was a misunderstanding there."

"You offering to take clinic duty..." Cuddy said it like she couldn't quite believe it still. "Man, you must _really_ want an answer." There was a short silence, during which Cuddy took a moment to construct an answer that wouldn't leave the diagnostics specialist feeling like he had been conned. "In all honesty..." She began slowly to make a point. "I think you wouldn't be any different than you are now, just without the medical practice and toying with people for amusement. But you'd still be the same, crippled, prickly doctor who doesn't know where ethical ends and obsession begins. Happy now?" She finished like she had been forced to give a particularly boring speech.

House stood up, tapped his cane several times in thought then shrugged. "Sounds reasonable to me," he said with faint approval.

Cuddy raised an eyebrow, suddenly suspicious and almost worried. "House...You're not thinking about quitting, are you?"

"_Quitting?_" House feigned shock, his face going dead thoughtful a second later. "Good idea...But I'd like to find out where that so called line between ethical and obsession you mentioned ends, and what better place to do that than at a hospital?" House grinned and wagged a finger in the dean's direction. "And don't think I'm not going to go through you to get there either."

"Isn't that the way it always goes?" Cuddy asked, resting her chin on her open palm and fixing House with a furtive look.

"Let's do ourselves a favour and keep it that way." House stated slyly and turned to the door. "Seeing as how now I have nothing else to pester you with, you're just as boring as the rest of this place. I'm going home." He said with finality and walked out of the office.

Cuddy rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Thanks for the flower by the way," she called before the door shut behind him and received a silent wave in response.

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><p><strong>Peach: Appreciation, Sincerity, Gratitude<strong>

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><p><strong>Well, whaddya think? I'll admit this wasn't the best thought-out of my ffics (and the fact it took less than 15 mins kinda proves it) but I really don't see a way to make it better without ruining the awesome 'love-hate' of House and Cuddy. If you read, do please review and tell me what YOU thought :D<strong>


End file.
